Bonus Point Win for Watford at Haringey

On the back of a testing and lengthy pre season, Watford knew a strong start to their league campaign would be vital if they were to be serious contenders for promotion come April. With this in mind, the visitors were fully focused from the moment they arrived despite changing, warming up and playing in three different locations across White Hart Lane.

Haringey's state of the art 4G pitch, along with a warm clear day meant the stage was set for an entertaining match and neither side disappointed. The opening 20 mins were a cagey affair, both sides missing with long range penalties. As the half wore on, Watford gradually gained the upper hand. The visitors set piece was entirely dominant, the tight five proving incredible effective at both the scrum and line out. A particular highlight was seeing the Watford pack steal one against the head of a Haringey scrum before marching them 25 metres up the pitch - proof that the work done during training is paying off.

The visitors soon opened their account, slick handling from James Braun and JR Greyling combining to put Jon McClennon through 30m from the line. The second row opened his legs to outpace the Haringey cover and score in the corner, conversion missed for a 0-5 lead.

Watford were enjoying the majority of territory and possession, soon adding a second score when Josh Wilkinson offloaded to Luke Bees for a 7 pointer by the posts.

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first. Watford's set piece was setting the stage for their back line to shine, and shine they did. Wilkinson looked dangerous every time he got the ball, with centres Andy Lee and Sam Holloway showing exceptional physicality in both attack and defence.

Wilkinson added Watford's 3rd after a barnstorming run from his own half, before skipper Martin Lee opened his account for the season after a fine pass from McClennon. With the bonus point in the bag, Watford switched off slightly allowing Haringey to score a consolation under the sticks.

With time running out, Watford were denied a pushover try from a 5 metre scrum before Martin Lee put Bees in for a deserved second try.

Watford can rightly be proud of the result, putting in one of their best performances in recent memory. The traditional set piece strength is still in place, however the back line now have a cutting edge which makes the side a real force to be reckoned with. Provided the squad continue their efforts on the training pitch, there is no reason that this season can't be one of the clubs finest.

Man of the Match: Luke Bees. Played out of position at tight head and was part of a completely dominant front row effort. Showed his improvement in the loose with two well taken tries.

WOTW: Sam Holloway. Was having a great game, but then attempted to volley the ball and pulled his hamstring. Silly billy.